MakerBot unveils an awesome 3D printer you can actually afford

The king of 3D printing has a new mission: bring its exciting technology to the masses. Stratasys-owned MakerBot unveiled a new 3D printer from the International Consumer Electronics Show this week and it could very well bring 3D printing to an entirely new base of customers. Dubbed the Replicator Mini, MakerBot’s new box uses the same corn-based plastic material as its professional printers but it is much smaller and more affordable. It’s also remarkably simple, as noted by MakerBot CEO Bre Pettis.

“[The Replicator Mini is] a compact 3D printer for everyone, from beginners to professionals. This is our consumer 3D printer, for one-touch 3D printing,” Pettis said on stage during MakerBot’s CES 2014 event. The new device has only one button — users load their 3D designs and then simply press print.

MakerBot’s new Replicator Mini 3D printer will begin shipping this spring for $1,375.

“There are no excuses. It’s not, ‘Are you going to get a MB 3D printer?’ Pettis said on stage. “It’s, ‘Which MakerBot 3D printer are you going to get?’ “